Evangelist-turned lawmaker Eddie Villanueva broke his silence on the bill seeking to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the country.
Villanueva said that the Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) bill will imperil freedoms of speech and religion.
Under the proposed bill anyone may be held criminally liable for public speeches deemed discriminatory to the LGBT community.
“It imperils freedoms of speech and religion… What happens to a Christian like me and to the majority of people in this august chamber if we are to be threatened with punishment every time we share our Bible-based beliefs on matters of transgenders and homosexuals?” Villanueva said in a privilege speech.
Villanueva added that they respect LGBT members but they should not force them to conform with their lifestyle.
“We respect the lives they choose to lead, but to make us conform to their lifestyle with the threat of punishment under our necks if we do not, is in itself a violation of our own rights,” Villanueva said.
The SOGIE bill can also threaten academic freedom according to Villanueva.
The lawmaker said that the bill prohibits schools from denying educational access to a student based on his or her sexuality.
“What if an all-boys school refuses a trans man? Despite having exemplary grades, the trans man is disqualified only because she is still genetically a woman and is unfit to join the school. What if a Catholic school expels a trans woman who insists on cross dressing despite getting a ton of warnings?” he said.
“Educational institutions espouse practices and rules that are consistent with their school philosophies and principles,” Villanueva added.
The pastor turned lawmaker said that SOGIE bill puts into question the foundation of our laws.
“A person may be considered guilty based on the feelings of the aggrieved party. From ‘you are innocent until proven guilty’, it becomes ‘you are guilty because I feel you are guilty,'” Villanueva explained.
The call for the passage of the SOGIE bill started when transgender woman Gretchen Diez was prevented from using the female restroom this month.
